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Hello, I have two turtles that I've had for about a year now. No idea how old they are. I have a RES and a YBS. I take good care of them and make sure the water is kept clean. They have a basking spot that they can fully get out of the water on, a great uvb light and heat lamp. Yet I am noticing red/pink patches/spots all over the ybs shell. The scutes aren't white or anything like shell rot. Just covered in light pink/red spots. Only noticeable in the water. The spots aren't soft. But some are flaky, and underneath looks like healthy shell. SO I'm not quite sure what this is. My turtles aren't acting weird. They're basking right now. I feed them plenty of protein, greens, and calcium rich foods. I may buy them a cuttle bone for added calcium. They eat red leaf lettuce on some days, reptomin food pellets, and meal worms on other days. Could this just be a strange form of shedding? PLEASE NO RUDE REPLIES. Any help/advice is appreciated.

Young turtles have pinkish areas naturally, but I don't think it persists into the juvenile stage. What kind of filter so you use? Could you post some pictures?

My turtles were given to me by my sister. They are both only 3 inches across. So they are quite young I think. they've both grown quite a bit since I got them. I use a pet-smart filter similar to the tetra Whisper filter. Nothing major. I'm getting ready to purchase a canister filter. Neither of my turtles had this problem before. It's not the normal pink on the plastron, but it's a strange crust-like pink along the scutes. Like I said previously, underneath looks like a healthy shell to me. No pictures seem to look similar.

What's the basking area made of? Are they growing too quickly?

The basking area is made of stone. No they're not growing too quickly, they're growing at a steady normal pace.

What kind of stone? Maybe it's too abrasive? Can you post a picture of it (the plastron)? It's odd that it's only noticeable in water, I've never heard of it being described as pink. Shedding scutes might have a washed out or golden appearance.

It isn't on the plastron, only the top of the shell. I do not know how to post pictures on this website... I'm sort of new here. But the plastron looks quite healthy to me, and I've owned all sorts of turtles since I was a child. Yet I have absolutely no clue what could be wrong with this turtle. The other turtle has a similar look to his or her shell but not quite as bad. It is somewhat noticeable outside of water, but it is easier to see in the water.

There's a link in my signature to find out how to post. If it's a small enough picture, just click on Full Editor below the reply box, and select Upload Attachment.